Chapter 52: The Caged Bird Infected with a Vicious Disease (7)

The little one’s words were so touching that it was hard not to be moved upon hearing them.

Jian Wanqing was one such person.

But when it came to something that could affect a lifetime, she wouldn’t let a few innocent words from Yu Niannian cloud her judgment.

Perhaps because of some unpleasant experiences from her childhood, she still believed to this day that children were the most contradictory creatures on earth.

Their minds weren’t fully developed, so they acted purely on their likes and dislikes.

If they liked someone, they would express it in the purest, most heartwarming way, without holding back.

Conversely, if they disliked someone, they would lash out with the sharpest, most cutting words, showing no mercy.

Adults were different. They often wore masks over their true selves. Even if they hated you, they might pretend to like you on the surface, concealing the cold malice within.

—Of course, this view didn’t apply to everyone.

But she didn’t dare take the risk.

Yu Niannian was a flower meant to grow under the sunlight. While she was still a delicate seedling in need of careful tending, she shouldn’t be trampled by any outside force.

“Little Nian, Auntie Jian really wants to attend the sports meet with you as your other mom, but maybe she shouldn’t go this time.”

“Why not?”

Jian Wanqing couldn’t explain the real reason to her.

Those blade-sharp words from the past were like invisible knives clutched by hideous faces. They leered at her with malicious grins, each syllable they spat stabbing deep into her heart.

That had been a cursed chapter of her dark childhood.

Like a person bitten by a snake who then fears even a coiled rope, she had escaped those memories long ago. Yet years later, the fear still gripped her uncontrollably.

Only now, it wasn’t for herself—but for the people she cared about.

Someone once soaked by the rain would now offer an umbrella at the first sign of clouds. Jian Wanqing didn’t know if the storm would come, but she was determined to make the girl who shouldn’t get wet accept it.

“Little Nian, not everyone can accept that you have two moms.” That was what she had meant to say gently. But when her gaze met the hurt in the little girl’s eyes, the words died on her lips.

Lost in thought, she felt a hand suddenly reach out and grasp hers tightly.

Jian Wanqing turned her head and locked eyes with Bai Qian.

Those beautiful eyes held the depths of an ocean, unfathomable and concealing depths unknown.

“She grew up in the sunlight. Even if shadows fall over her briefly, it’s only a fleeting dimness, soon scattered by the wind.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because she has become the sun herself.”

“And those who have lingered too long in the shadows may never become suns, but who can say the sun itself won’t shine its favor upon her?”

~~~

The school’s sports meet was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Students weren’t normally allowed to bring phones, but today was a special exception, so the school relaxed the rules slightly.

Sixth graders could bring their phones but had to hand them over to their homeroom teacher first. They could retrieve them only after morning classes ended, to contact their parents.

Bai Qian received a message from Yu Niannian on her way out. The little one said she would be waiting for them early at the school gate.

Yet now that they had arrived, there was no sign of the girl.

Bai Qian pulled out her phone to call her, but before she could even unlock the screen, the woman beside her spotted her first. “I see Little Nian. She’s over there.”

Bai Qian turned her head, following her gaze. There was Yu Niannian, being carried on someone’s back as they slowly made their way toward them.

The little girl had always been slim. She ate plenty, yet never seemed to gain weight. If not for her healthy skin and vibrant appearance, it would be easy to mistake her for a neglected child.

The two women hurried over. It wasn’t until they stood right in front of Yu Niannian—who had been chatting with her head tilted—that she finally noticed them.

She broke into a wide grin. “Godmother, Auntie Jian, you made it!”

While the girl spoke, Bai Qian had already scanned her from head to toe, checking for any signs of injury. From the look of things, nothing seemed amiss.

The knot of worry in her chest loosened slightly. “Where are you hurt?”

Yu Niannian patted her friend’s shoulder, and the other girl set her down without a word.

She reached down and rolled up the right leg of her pants. The two adults leaned in and immediately saw her right leg, wrapped thickly in gauze.

Yu Niannian explained with some embarrassment, “I was rushing downstairs earlier and didn’t notice the puddle on the steps, so I slipped and bumped my knee.”

Seeing the worry deepening in their eyes, she quickly added, “It’s nothing, really. I already checked with the school doctor. It’s just a simple scrape—some ointment and a few days with gauze, and I’ll be fine.”

“Which floor did you fall from?”

“Just the last step. It wasn’t high at all. It doesn’t even hurt, I swear. Please don’t worry—I’m totally okay.”

Jian Wanqing, who had been quiet up to that point, finally spoke up. “If it’s really nothing, then why’d your friend have to carry you all the way here? Does it hurt too much to walk?”

She usually stood united with Yu Niannian. Whenever Bai Qian tried to stop her from doing something, Jian Wanqing would team up with the girl to resist the “forces of evil.” But this time, for once, she was siding with Bai Qian.

Realizing even Jian Wanqing wasn’t buying it, Yu Niannian grew anxious. She nudged her silent companion beside her. “Help me out here! You were with me when we went downstairs, right?”

Her friend glanced at her, then woodenly echoed her words. “Yu Niannian says she didn’t fall. Aunts, there’s no need to worry.”

“…” Yu Niannian nearly choked on her frustration with this blockhead.

“You’re really okay?”

“Really! Godmas, you have to believe me!”

Bai Qian decided to take her at her word for now. “Fine, then. Go join the sports day. Afterward, I’ll take you to the hospital for a proper checkup.”

Yu Niannian conveniently tuned out the second half of that sentence and let out a relieved breath. “I thought you were gonna drag me home, Godma.”

Bai Qian chuckled. “Isn’t this your last sports day?”

The girl nodded, then frowned. “Our class monitor’s parents showed up earlier too. But when they saw her chatting alone with a boy in the classroom, they dragged her right back home.”

Jian Wanqing’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s so over the top. Aren’t her parents a bit too strict?”

“Yeah, we all thought so. She burst into tears on the spot. Even the homeroom teacher tried talking them down for ages, but her dad wouldn’t budge—he just hauled her away.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Parents like that still exist in this day and age?” Jian Wanqing grumbled. Then she remembered how she’d been raised the same way, and her expression soured. She fell silent.

Bai Qian didn’t join in on the topic. She’d grabbed three bottles of water when they got out of the car, but the whole “Yu Niannian injury scare” had distracted her from it. Now she remembered and handed one bottle to each of the girls.

That left one bottle. Without thinking, she twisted off the cap and offered it to Jian Wanqing beside her. “Water.”

Jian Wanqing took it automatically and took a small sip before holding the bottle back out to let Bai Qian drink as well.

Their movements were so fluid and natural, as if they’d done this a hundred times before.

In truth, this was the first time Bai Qian had ever shared a drink with Jian Wanqing like this. Only after the fact did she register their unspoken rapport. She paused for a beat—but before she could dwell on it, Jian Wanqing’s voice cut in.

“Little Nian, you’re really not hurting at all?”

By now, they’d walked some distance toward the playground. Yu Niannian had been walking on her own for this stretch, ever since getting down from her friend’s back.

“Auntie Jian, I’m not fibbing—it really doesn’t hurt.”

“Then why’d your friend go to the trouble of carrying you?”

“She thought I’d broken my leg.”

Jian Wanqing glanced at Yu Niannian’s companion. The girl had clear, pretty features, though her expression was a bit blank. Something about her must have struck Jian Wanqing as amusing, because she let out a soft laugh. “Your friend’s pretty cute.”

The playground lay just ahead. Even from this distance, the noisy clamor—brimming with youthful energy—drifted toward them.

The four of them soon reached the back of Yu Niannian’s class lineup. The moment they got close, a cluster of her friends swarmed around her.

Yu Niannian was always so sweet and well-behaved that she had plenty of friends in her class. They bombarded her with questions and concern, one after another. Finally, one girl turned her attention to the two women who’d arrived with Yu Niannian.

A girl with her hair tied up in a space bun blinked in surprise. “Niannian, didn’t the teacher say both parents should come? How come it’s your mom and an auntie for your family?”

“Which one’s your mom? Your family’s got killer genes—everyone’s gorgeous.”

“If I’d known an auntie could stand in for a dad, I would’ve had my mom bring my little aunt along. Now we’ve only got two people from our family. We’re gonna tank in the events.”

“Liu Yutang’s parents didn’t show either. If anyone’s screwed, it’s her.”

The bun-haired girl shot back with round eyes flashing. “How can you even compare me to Liu Yutang? She’s a total athletic beast—one of her is worth two of us!”

“That works perfectly then. Liu Yutang’s on her own, and you’ve got two at home. Put them together, and that makes exactly three.”

Her eyes lit up instantly, only for the spark to fade just as quickly. “Can I even get her to come? She’s got that poker face all day long. Ignores everyone who calls out to her and only plays with Yu Niannian. No way I’m calling her.”

Jian Wanqing overheard every word of the children’s conversation, finding it both amusing and a relief.

She glanced at the little girl standing beside Yu Niannian, her lips pursed in a humorless line, and nudged Bai Qian with her elbow. “I was just like her when I was little—didn’t talk to anyone else. What about you?”

“Same as now.”

Jian Wanqing nodded. “Didn’t talk much either, but this kid’s a little better than I was.”

“Hm?”

Smiling, the woman glanced at Yu Niannian holding the other girl’s hand. “When I was little, I always hoped to meet a friend like Little Nian, but I never did. Luckily, I ran into you later on.”

As she spoke, the hand at her side inched closer to Bai Qian’s, her pinky finger hooking easily onto the other woman’s.

“Niannian, your mom and Auntie are way too close, huh? They’re even holding hands.”

The little girl’s whisper, which she believed to be hushed, carried clearly to everyone present.

Jian Wanqing, who had never known the meaning of a blush, felt a rare wave of embarrassment under the curious, astonished stares of the children who turned to look.

Her pinky, still hooked around Bai Qian’s, instinctively slipped free.

Before she could draw it back to her side, that same hand seized hers in a firm grip.